Humidifier



Patented ug. 10, 1948 Joseph J. Romer, chicago, 111. Application January 15, 1944,' serial 10.518.426

My invention relates to humidiers.

.The object and accomplishment of the invention is to provide a simple, sturdy device, Acapable of being economically manufactured and easily installed, that may be associated withv a -steam radiator for the purpose of disseminating Water vapor by fan action.

A 'salient feature of the invention isv that the fan is ldriven by a uid actuated impeller operatingin a suitable housingthat intakes impeller- 1 motivating steam from the radiator and exhausts -water vapor into Vthe ambit ofthe fan.

Other features, objects and advantages lof my 'invention will appear from the following detailed description wherein reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawingsfin which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating the humidifier ofthe present invention associated with one of the end risers of a conventional steam radiator;

Fig. 2 is -a lside vView in which the impeller housing and parts within it are depictedin axial section; and

Fig. 3 i's a sectional View taken in the vertical planes of the line 3--3 ofFig. 2 and looking in the di-rection'indicated bythe arrows.

VSimilar characters of reference refer tofsimilar partsthrou'ghout theseveral views.

'In the drawings reference numeral 4 indicates a conventional steam radiator having a. tubular lelbow 5 communicating with one of its end risers.

rluppcnted by the upturned endlA of elbow 5 is a composite housing which comprises the metallic portion or housing proper 'I and the circular closure plate 8, conveniently of non-metallic material, which suitably is retained in position by the swaged annular lip 9 of portion I.

Forming parts of the housing portion 'I are the aligned bosses I and II which are bored to receive a bearing I2 for a freely rotatable shaft I3.

Fixed upon the inner end of the shaft I3 is a steam actuated impeller or turbine I4 which consists of a disk I5 provided with a multiplicity of suitably disposed equi-distantly spaced integral blades I6. Disk I5 conveniently is provided with a hollow integral central boss I'I for the reception of and fixation to the enlarged end I8 of shaft I3. If desired, a washer I9 may encircle shaft I3 and be disposed between the opposed ends of bosses I 0 and I1. Impeller I4 may be in the form of a metal stamping, a molded plastic, or be fabricated from a suitable material or materials. Apertures may be formed in disk I5 for the sake of lightness, or to economize in the use of the material from which the impeller 'is formed. l v f Fixed to the outer end of shaft I3 is a fan 2=2I which preferably, but not necessarily, lis o'f the rubber blade Variety having four blades.

Steam to rotate the impellerhor turbine Il is admitted to housing 6 through an intake port 222 which conveniently is controlled'by a needle valve 23. The location'ofthe intake vport 22 is desirableat the bottom of the housing, so that moisture of condensation of the steam within the housing drains back to the port for vreturnto-the radiator or reprojection with the steam lagainst; 'the impeller for atomization. Y

Housing 6 is provided' with one ora plurality of'exhaust ports 24 disposed relatively close yto-the fan yaxis on the Vlow pressure side of thefan and discharging toward'the fan in 'a line normal to the plane of 'fan rotation. This relation of parts further promotes Adispersion of the moisture of the steam into theair by utilizing the mechanical action of the fan to atomize condensed .moisture and disperse all of the moisture into the air with out providing any vplaces for moisture to collect in condensed form and from-which 'it will drip.

Steam Vadmitted to the housing 6 Vthrough-port 22 impinges upon'the blades I6 :to'rotate theimpeller I4 in the direction indicated by `the arrows (Fig. 3), and the resultant water vapor whichv accumulates within :housing 6 is exhausted in vaporized and Aatomized form through yports '24s into the ambit of fan 2l, inthe region of-,the fan axis, to be quite thoroughly disseminated by fan action throughout the room in which the humidifier is located.

By ambit of the fan, as the term is used herein, I mean its field of action.

Having thus illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a humidier adapted to be operated by steam under pressure, the combination of a casing having an opening at one end, an inlet port at the bottom, an exhaust port in the end opposite said opening in a position higher than said inlet port, a closure plate secured in said opening, a shaft journaled in said exhaust port end and adjacent said exhaust port, an impeller secured to said shaft within the casing, said i-mpeller including a disc provided with a multiplicity of circumferentially disposed equi-distantly spaced integral blades, said impeller revolving in a plane parallel with the closure plate, said blades being in position to intercept the steam entering 2. In a humidifier adapted to be operated by" steam under pressure, the combination of afcasing having an opening at one end, an inlet port at the bottom, an exhaust port in the end opposite said opening in a position higher than said.

inlet port, a closure plate secured in said open- 4 entering ,the housing through the inlet port and exhausted through the exhaust port, said impeller also serving to atomize moisture of condensation within the housing which drains back to the inlet port, and a fan mounted in an exposed position on the shaft outside of the housing adjacent and in the path of steam exhausted from the exhaust port, said fan being so 'constructed and disposed relative to the exhaust port that the steam exhaustedthrough said'exhaust port enters the ambit of the fan on the lower pressure side thereof, said fan being driven by the impeller to 'disperse the moisture of the steam.

4. In a humidifier adapted to be operated by steam runder pressure from a source thereof, the

' most 'internal portion thereof for 'connection to ing, a shaft journaled in said end opposite the,`

opening and adjacent said exhaust port, an i-mpeller secured to said shaft within the casing, said :impeller including a dise provided with a multiplicity .of' circumferentially disposed equi-dissteam entering` the casing through the inlet port sofas to drive said impeller, said blades also serving to atomize the moisture of vcondensation, within the casing, and a fan mounted on the shaft outside of said casing adjacent said exhaust port and inthe path of steam issuing therefrom, said steam entering said fan on the low pressure side, said fan being driven by said impeller to disseminate thesteam into theatmosphere,` said fan by mechanical action atomizing condensate which forms after the steam escapes from the. exhaust port, said inlet port also acting as a drain for any condensate which is not vaporized, said condensate infsaid inlet port being revaporized by the incoming steam and returned into the impeller blades to be exhausted through the exhaust port. J Y

3. A humidifier adapted to be operated by steam under pressure from a source thereof and comprising, in combination, a housing having a steam inlet portat the bottom for connection to the source of. steam under pressure and an exhaust port'in one side, a shaft journaled in said one side of the housing near the exhaust port, an impeller 'seoured'to the shaft within the housing in position to intercept and be driven by steam thesource of steam under pressure and an exhaust port at a higher position, an impeller having blades, and means rotatably supporting ,the impeller Within the housing in alignment 'With-.the inlet` port to be driven by steam entering vthe inlet port and passing to the exhaust port, the positions of said inlet Vand exhaust ports being such that moisture of condensation from the steam drains to the inlet port and is prevented from draining through the exhaust ports, afan mounted outside of said Vhousing adjacent said exhaust port and rotatably supported by the impeller supporting means to be driven thereby,- said fan being so constructed with respect to the no1'- mal direction of rotation of the i-mpeller supporting means and so disposed with respectto said exhaust port that steam issuing from theiexhaust portenters the ambit of the fan on the low pressure side thereof.

JOSEPH J. ROZNER. j

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in1 the file of this patent:

UNITED vSTATES PATENTS p Date Cornell NOV. 5, 1940 

